The ever elongating shadow of violence claimed three lives in the third phase of panchayat polls which ended amid sporadic gun-and-bomb fights and booth capturing in the three south Bengal districts of Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
Sanat Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress supporter was shot dead at point-blank range at Morapai village under Usti police station near laxmikantapur in South 24 Parganas allegedly by CPI(M) men, District SP Praveen Tripathi said.
At Amdanga in North 24 Parganas, 65-year-old Matharbux Mullick a CPI(M) supporter was bombed to death by alleged Trinamool men who “barged inside our house to punish us for daring to go and cast our vote,” his son said.
In the third case, Somnath Mukherjee of Ghutiarishariff a teenager was allegedly murdered and thrown into a pond by his assailants for tearing off the posters of a particular political party, the police said quoting witnesses. Apart from this a CRPF jawan was killed in North 24 Parganas when his rifle went off accidentally.
Massive bombing, gun fire and booth jamming were reported from Canning, Bhangore, Magrahat, Basanti in South 24 Parganas and Barasat, Basirhat, Bhebla, Berachampa, Kholapota, Amdanga in North and Udainarayanpur, Panchla and Sankrail, State Election Commission adding that “the polls were comparatively peaceful in other places.”
CPI(M) veteran and former State Minister Abdul Rezzak Mollah said “barring for a few booths about 90 per cent of them have been captured. Polling agents have been driven out of the booths.”
Despite such violence, about 75 percent polling till 5 pm with hundreds of people still lined up in to cast their votes.
However Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed the polling was peaceful and “the people of Bengal are seeing for the first time how votes can take place peacefully. They are celebrating the elections like a festival.” She alleged that the “CPI(M) is shouting terror because they once did it to rule Bengal for 34 years.”
Even this time they tried to resort to violence but their plans failed and now they are alleging violence.”
This year poll related violence has already seen 20 deaths.
Some booths in North 24 Parganas recorded 90-100 percent polling by 11 am, CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb claimed adding his party would demand repolling in many booths. Nepaldeb Bhattacharya of the CPI(M) said “Bengal was witnessing farce in the name of polls” wondering why the administration was allowing the Central forces to cool their heels in the barracks.